1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cooling devices. In particular, it relates to conductive cooling devices having pre-cooled fluids which extract heat from other objects.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices which cool or keep cool a beverage in a container by encompassing the container have become extremely popular. The cooling device is typically cylindrical in shape and is in the form of a cup in which the beverage container, a can or bottle, is placed. The cooling devices of the prior art have a rigid outside insulating layer usually made of polystyrene with a smooth rigid inner plastic liner. A refreezable gel in a continuous cavity is found between the polystyrene outer layer and the rigid plastic inner liner. A flexible plastic rim is attached to and encircles the opening of the cup for minimizing ambient air flow between the cup and the beverage container. One such cooling device is marketed by Freezesleeves of America, Inc. of Dallas, Tex.
There are several major disadvantages with the above-mentioned cooling devices. First, odd sized beverage containers will not fit within the cooling device. Thus, many types of beer bottles and wine bottles have to be kept cool in an inconvenient ice bucket. Moreover, irregularly shaped containers which do fit within the cooling device are inefficiently cooled, losing much of the cooling capacity to air circulating between the cooling device and the irregularly shaped container. Second, if the outer or inner layers of the cooling device are punctured, the refreezable gel will escape and the cooling device will lose its cooling capabilities. Third, an inconsistent cooling surface, affected by a gap in the frozen fluid, occurs whenever the cooling device is allowed to freeze in any non-vertical position.